Antenna mounting platform for mounting an antenna to a roof substrate

ABSTRACT

An antenna roof mounting platform to which an antenna mount maybe fastened is provided. The antenna roof mounting platform is comprised of a wedge-shaped center section and flange like exterior sections. The wedge-shaped center section has defined portions for guiding an installer in the fastening of an antenna mount to a planar top side of the wedge-shaped center section. The wedge-shaped center section further includes defined portions in a vertical front face for inserting wire couplings. The flange-like exterior section is substantially flat allowing for roof shingles to be layered on top of the flange-like exterior section. The flange-like exterior section and the center section may be formed from a single piece of material, e.g., a sheet of metal formed pressed to create the center section having the defined portions. The antenna roof mounting platform allows for attachment of conventional antenna mountings to the planar top side of the wedge-like center section. Additionally, the antenna roof mounting platform provides for wire couplings for ease of installation of the antenna at a later time from when the antenna roof mounting platform is installed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention is directed to an antenna mounting platform. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a satellite dish antenna mounting platform for mounting a satellite dish to a roof substrate.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0004] Antenna mountings typically require that the antenna be directly fastened to the roof of a home or business. Such direct fastening requires that holes be drilled through the shingles of the roof and the holes sealed with silicon sealant. Silicon only last for 5 to 10 years when exposed to weather, while most roofs last upwards of 15 to 20 years. Thus, there is a high likelihood that the roof will leak due to the deterioration of the silicon sealant before the roof needs to be replaced.

[0005] Furthermore, with the sale of a house, the previous owner typically takes the antenna, e.g., the satellite dish, with them when they leave the house. As a result, damaged shingles with holes in them are left behind for the new owner. Moreover, if the new owner wishes to make use of an antenna, the installer of the new owner's antenna may not use the same holes as the previous installer. Thus, additional sources of leakage are generated with each transfer of ownership of the home.

[0006] With new homes, additional concerns regarding the mounting of antennas on the roof are present. It has been found that many homebuilders have clauses in their paperwork that state if a satellite dish or antenna is mounted to the roof in any way, the entire roof warranty is rendered void.

[0007] An additional problem with traditional antenna mounts is that many home owners want the antenna mounted on a backside of the house so that you cannot see it from the front or sides of the house. However, when houses are prewired, such as during construction, the cabling of many houses exits the exterior wall where the meter box is placed. This meter box is typically on a side of the house that is visible from the front or sides of the house. In such cases, if the cables come out of the exterior wall on the same side of the house where the electrical meter box is located, then the home owner's antenna will need to be located on the side of the house where the cables are located near the meter box. This is usually on the side of the house in front of the fence line—an area very visible from the front of the house.

[0008] Yet another problem with known mounts is that of wire penetration. Most experienced installers will run the wires for an antenna, e.g., a satellite dish, into the attic under an eve or through a roof vent or shroud. But all to often installers will drill a hole straight through the shingles and the roof and seal the hole with silicon sealant. As with the fastening holes discussed above, such drilling through the roof and shingles creates a potential for leakage.

[0009] Still other installers will run 10 to 20 feet of wire across the surface of a roof to the point of hook up, e.g., the meter box. This leaves not only an aesthetically unpleasing roof, but also provides a source of damage to the shingle of the roof as the wind and rain beat the wires against the roof. Even if the wires are tacked down, the roof is now susceptible to leakage due to the additional holes created through the tacking down—the holes typically not being sealed. Moreover, the wires will catch leaves and debris that may cause the shingles of the roof to rot, also leading to leakage and unnecessary repairs.

[0010] Some of these problems are solved by the antenna roof mounting described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,433 to Burns et al., issued Oct. 10, 1995, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The Burns antenna roof mounting comprises a solid planar foundation with a pyramidal or cone shaped support mounted to the top of the solid planar foundation. The pyramidal or cone shaped support has an apex upon which the antenna or satellite dish is mounted and the wiring for the antenna passes through the antenna mast to a hole in the roof substrate. In an alternative embodiment, the mast is fastened to a vertical side of the pyramidal support and wiring is passed through the mast and under an inverted channel to a hole in the roof substrate.

[0011] The Burns antenna roof mounting, however, does not provide a surface upon which conventional satellite dish mounts may be fastened. Rather, the satellite dish must be mounted upon a pole like member that is either strapped to the side of the pyramidal or cone shaped support or passed through a cylindrical opening in the apex of the pyramidal or cone shaped support. Thus, the Burns antenna roof mounting cannot be used with conventional satellite dish mountings and is limited to pole mount satellite dishes. Other types of antenna cannot be mounted using the Burns antenna roof mounting.

[0012] Moreover, the Burns antenna roof mounting requires two separate pieces to be manufactured and fastened together. Thus, the Burns antenna roof mounting requires additional manufacturing steps than the present invention, as will be discussed hereafter.

[0013] Moreover, the Burns antenna roof mounting does not provide any connections for wiring. Rather, the Burns antenna roof mounting requires the wiring to be passed directly from the satellite dish through an opening cut in the roof substrate. Thus, the Burns antenna roof mounting is intended to be used at the time that the satellite dish is installed. There is no provision for providing the mounting on the roof substrate at a different time than the satellite dish is installed, such as when the roof is constructed.

[0014] Therefore, it would be beneficial to have an antenna roof mounting that requires less manufacturing steps, provides a surface upon which conventional satellite dishes may be mounted, and which has wire couplings through which an installer may easily connect a satellite dish at some time remote from the time the antenna roof mounting is installed on the roof substrate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The present invention provides an antenna roof mounting platform to which an antenna mount may be fastened. The antenna roof mounting platform is comprised of a wedge-shaped center section and flange like exterior sections. The wedge-shaped center section has defined portions for guiding an installer in the fastening of an antenna mount to a planar top side of the wedge-shaped center section. The wedge-shaped center section further includes defined portions in a vertical front face for inserting wire couplings.

[0016] The flange-like exterior section is substantially flat allowing for roof shingles to be layered on top of the flange-like exterior section. The flange-like exterior section and the center section may be formed from a single piece of material, e.g., a sheet of metal formed pressed to create the center section having the defined portions.

[0017] The antenna roof mounting platform according to the present invention allows for installation at a remote time from when the antenna is installed. Moreover, the antenna roof mounting platform allows for attachment of conventional antenna mountings to the planar top side of the wedge-like center section. Additionally, the antenna roof mounting platform provides for wire couplings for ease of installation of the antenna at a later time from when the antenna roof mounting platform is installed.

[0018] As a further advantage of the present invention, the antenna roof mounting platform allows for virtually fool-proof installation of smart boxes in homes in a manner that supports the maximum potential of satellite dishes. With the antenna roof mounting platform of the present invention, four or more cables may be run from the wire couplings to the smart box. As a result, the installer of the smart box will necessarily connect all four wires to the smart box rather than the typical two wires used for cable and satellite television reception. As a result, the smart box will be equipped for use with four or more receivers pursuant to present technology standards. Thus, when the satellite dish is later installed using the antenna roof mounting platform of the present invention, the need for using splitters and/or running of additional wiring to accommodate four or more receivers is made unnecessary.

[0019] These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be described in, or will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0021]FIG. 1A is an exemplary diagram of a side view of an antenna mounting platform according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0022]FIG. 1B is an exemplary diagram of a top down view of the antenna mounting platform of FIG. 1A;

[0023]FIG. 1C is an exemplary diagram of a front view of the antenna mounting platform of FIGS. 1A and 1B;

[0024]FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an isometric view of an antenna mounting platform depicting how the antenna mounting fits underneath the shingles of a roof and also depicting the wire couplings of a front side of the antenna mounting;

[0025]FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a view of the antenna mounting platform describing the manner by which a standard satellite dish mounting may be fastened to the top surface of the antenna mounting platform; and

[0026]FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which a protective housing is provided over the wire connections of the front side of the antenna mounting platform.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0027] The present invention provides an improved antenna roof mounting. Although the present invention will be described with regard to particular preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to such. Rather, as is apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, many modifications to the preferred embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0028] In addition, the present description will reference antennas and antenna mountings. The present invention may be used with any type of antenna that may be mounted to a roof of a home, dwelling, or other building. In a preferred embodiment, the antenna is a satellite dish used to obtain satellite signals, such as television signals or the like. However, the present invention may also be used to mount other types of antennas including broadband antennas, used for data network and telephone communications, and the like.

[0029] With reference now to the figures, and in particular FIGS. 1A-1C, an antenna roof mounting platform 100 according to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention is depicted. FIG. 1A is a side view of the antenna roof mounting platform 100, FIG. 1B is a top view of the antenna roof mounting platform 100, and FIG. 1C is a front view of the antenna roof mounting 100. Reference will be made to all three figures interchangeably.

[0030] The antenna roof mounting platform 100 according to the present invention is comprised of a single substrate that is formed such as to have an exterior section formed as flanges around four exterior sides of a wedge shaped center section 120. The antenna roof mounting platform 100 according to this embodiment of the present invention may be formed from a single sheet of metal material, such as 16 gauge steel, for example, that is form pressed to create a wedge shape in a substantially central region of the sheet of metal material. In so doing, some cracking of the material may be experienced during the manufacture of the antenna roof mounting platform 100 and thus, welding of the seams of the wedge shaped center section 120 may be required. However, in a preferred embodiment, the edges of the wedge are beveled and right angles are not present (although the Figures depict right angles for purposes of illustration). It should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited, however, to the particular type of material used in its formation and any other suitable materials may be used other than metal without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0031] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to manufacture from a single piece of material. Rather, the present invention may have a substantially rectangular substrate 110 upon which the wedge shaped center section 120 is fastened. Thus, two or more pieces may be manufactured and fastened to one another to create the structure shown in FIG. 1 without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0032] Regardless of whether the center section 120 is manufactured from a single piece of material or is manufactured as a separate piece and fastened to a substrate 110, the wedge shaped center section 120 comprises a planar top side surface 170, two side surfaces 140 and 150, and a front side surface 180. The two side surfaces 140 and 150 resemble right triangles in which the angle between a parallel side relative to the exterior section 110, i.e., a horizontal side, and a side adjacent the top side surface 170 is represented as θ. The angle between the side adjacent the top side surface 170 and a perpendicular side relative to the exterior section 110, i.e., a vertical side, is represented as Θ. In a preferred embodiment, the angle Θ is larger than the angle θ. The angles Θ and θ are selected such that water will run off the planar top surface 170, room is provided inside the wedge shaped center section 120 to accommodate the wiring, and height is provided for the front side surface 180 such that the wire couplings may be provided in the front side surface 180. The top side surface 170 is positioned at the angle θ relative to the exterior section 110. The front side surface 180 is vertical relative to the exterior section 110. The front side surface 180 has a smaller height than the sides of the top side surface 170 and the parallel side of the side surfaces 140 and 150. The width of the front side surface 180 is the same as the width of the top side surface 170.

[0033] While the above orientations of the sides of the wedge shaped center section 120 are preferred, the present invention is not limited to such. Rather, other orientations, angles between sides, and the like, may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, any tetrahedron-like geometry may be used for the side surfaces 140 and 150. As a result, the top side surface 170 and front side surface 180 may have different angles with respect to the exterior section 110. In all cases, however, the top side surface 170 and front side surface 180 should be planar surfaces to which an antenna mount may be mounted and wire couplings may pass, respectively.

[0034] The top side surface 170 and front side surface 180 are constructed so as to have indentions or holes 130 in the top side surface and indentions or holes 160 in the vertical front side surface 180 of the wedge shaped center section 120. In one embodiment, these elements 130 and 160 are indentions which are formed in the surfaces of the wedge shaped center section 120 so as to provide guidance to antenna installers as to where the antenna mounting and wire holes are to be drilled. Indentions are provided in this embodiment to allow for different size fasteners and wire couplings, e.g., barrel couplings or the like. Thus, with this embodiment, the actual determination as to the size of the holes for fastening and passing wiring is left to the installer of the antenna rather than the installer of the antenna roof mounting platform 100 of the present invention.

[0035] Of course, it may be beneficial to have the antenna roof mounting platform 100 installer provide the wiring and couplings at the time the antenna roof mounting platform 100 is installed. Thus, the indentions 160 may be drilled at the time the antenna roof mounting platform 100 is installed.

[0036] In an alternative embodiment, the elements 130 and 160 are holes that are drilled or formed in the surfaces of the wedge shaped center section 120 at the time of manufacture of the antenna roof mounting platform 100. This embodiment is suited for instances where the antenna roof mounting platform 100 is provided to installers of antennas who use a certain size fastener for the antenna mounting and certain size wire couplings. In a preferred embodiment, these “certain sizes” are standardized sizes for the particular type of antenna.

[0037] In still another alternative embodiment, one of the elements 130 and 160 may be holes while the other is indentions. For example, if the installer of the antenna roof mounting platform 100 typically provides the wire couplings during install, the elements 160 may be holes while the element 130 may be indentions for guiding an installer of the antenna at a later time.

[0038] The exterior section 110 is substantially planar and acts as a flange when installed on a roof substrate. The exterior section 110 is provided so as to have a surface for mounting the antenna roof mounting to a roof substrate and upon which roof shingles may be overlaid to provide a moisture resistant attachment of the antenna roof mounting to the roof substrate.

[0039] Although the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 illustrates the indentions 160 being in the front side surface 180 of the wedge shaped center section 120, the present invention is not limited to such. Rather, the indentions, and thus, the wire couplings, may be positioned on any surface of the wedge shaped center section 120. For example, the indentions 160 may be provided on side surfaces 140 or 150, or on top side surface 170. The indentions 160 are provided on the front side surface 180 because the front side surface 180 will typically experience the least amount of water runoff. Moreover, the front side surface 180 provides an area large enough to have loosely coupled wires such that kinks in the wiring are not experienced (kinks in the wiring tend to cause loss of signal).

[0040]FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the antenna roof mounting of the present invention that illustrates the manner by which roof shingles 220 may overlay the flanges of the antenna roof mounting. As shown in FIG. 2, the flanges 210 provide a substantially flat surface over which roof shingles may be layered. In this way, a substantially moisture resistant installation of the antenna roof mounting platform 100 is obtained.

[0041] The shingles 220 are preferably overlaid over an upper portion of the antenna roof mounting platform 100 so that rain and other moisture typically experienced by roof substrates runs down the shingles and over the lower part of the antenna roof mounting platform 100. The lower part of the antenna roof mounting platform 100 may be placed over roof shingles and fastened to the roof substrate using water sealed bolts.

[0042] In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the wiring 240 for the antenna may be connected to wire couplings 250 provided in the defined portions, i.e. the indentions or holes, of the front surface of the wedge-shaped center section. During installation of the antenna roof mounting platform 100, a hole 290 is drilled through the roof substrate to allow for passing of wiring 280 to a smart box or the like inside the house or building. This wiring is then attached to an interior side of the wire couplings 250. The hole 290, wiring 280 and interior side of the wire couplings 250 are protected from weather conditions by the wedge-shaped center section.

[0043] At substantially the same time, or at a later time, the antenna may be mounted to the top side of the wedge-shaped center section and connected to the wiring 280 via wires 240. The installer of the antenna need only attach the antenna mounting to the top side of the wedge-shaped center section and attach the wires 240 to the exterior side of the wire couplings 250 in order to have a completed connection. Thus, the present invention provides an antenna roof mounting platform that allows for ease of installation of antennas at substantially the same time as the antenna roof mounting platform is installed or at a remote time from when the antenna roof mounting platform is installed.

[0044]FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a view of the antenna mounting platform describing the manner by which a standard satellite dish mounting may be fastened to the top surface of the antenna mounting platform. As shown in FIG. 3, the antenna, which in the depicted example is a satellite dish, is mounted to the antenna roof mounting platform 100 by an antenna mount 310. The antenna mount 310 is attached to a top side of the wedge-shaped center section of the antenna roof mounting platform by way of one or more water sealed bolts that pass through holes 320 in the antenna mount 310 (4 such fasteners are shown in the illustrated example). Such installation of satellite dishes is standard and is readily known to those of ordinary skill in the art with the exception that the fastening of the antenna mount 310 is not to the roof substrate but to the wedge-shaped center section of the antenna roof mounting platform 100.

[0045] Once the satellite dish is mounted to the top side of the wedge-shaped center section, wires may be run from the receiver unit 350 of the satellite dish 360 to the wire couplings 390. Once this is done, installation of the satellite dish on the roof substrate is complete.

[0046] Thus, the present invention provides a simple structure for mounting antennas to a roof substrate that eliminates the negative effects of known antenna mountings. Moreover, the present invention makes installation of the antenna simple and less complicated than current procedures for installing antennas on a roof substrate.

[0047] This is especially true for homes in which smart boxes are utilized. A smart box is an electrical box where the cables for television connections, telephone connections, stereos, intercoms, and the like are prewired to meet. This allows for technicians to obtain easy access to the wiring to perform installations and repair at a later time. Typically, installers of smart boxes only run two cables to the smart box to accommodate television cable or satellite receivers. If a homeowner wishes to make use of more than two connections, splitters and the like must be used to create additional lines through which television signals may be output. Such splitting causes a loss in the television signal amplitude.

[0048] With the present invention, since four or more cables are prewired from the wire couplings in the antenna roof mounting platform, the installer of the smart box must connect all four wires to the smart box. As a result, there is no ambiguity on the part of the installer as to how many antenna wirings should be provided in the smart box. Thus, at a later time when a satellite dish or other type of antenna is mounted to the antenna mounting platform, there is no need to use splitters or run additional cables to provide additional lines for reception of the signal by additional receiver units.

[0049]FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which a protective housing is provided over the wire connections of the front side of the antenna mounting platform. The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is substantially the same as that of FIG. 2. The main difference between FIGS. 2 and 4 is the inclusion of a housing 410 for protecting the wire couplings.

[0050] While the wire couplings are typically resistant to the effects of weather any additional protection for these couplings would make them less susceptible to the effects of weather and thereby avoids even the smallest chance of degradation of the signals through the wires. Thus, in order to provide an additional protection against weather, housing 410 is provided.

[0051] The housing 410 may be hinged or otherwise movable so as to provide access to the wire couplings. In this way, an installer may gain access to the wire couplings for installation or repair purposes.

[0052] The housing 410 may be created from the same or a different material from that of the antenna roof mounting platform. The housing 410 includes openings 420 through which the wires from the antenna may pass so as to be attached to the wire couplings inside the housing 410. The openings are preferably sized so as to be large enough for passing of the wires but not too large so as to allow rain and moisture to blow into the interior area of the housing 410.

[0053] While separate openings are shown for each wire in FIG. 4, the present invention is not limited to such. Rather, a single opening, two openings, or any number of openings can be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Furthermore, as technology advances, it may be possible to provide additional signal lines from antennas without a degradation in the signal strength. As a result, the number of openings or indentions may be increased in accordance with the particular antenna type with which the antenna roof mounting platform is to be used.

[0054] The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An antenna roof mounting platform, comprising: a wedge-shaped center section; and a substantially flat exterior section surrounding the wedge-shaped center section, wherein the wedge-shaped center section has a planar top surface upon which an antenna mount is to be fastened.
 2. The antenna roof mounting platform of claim 1, wherein the wedge-shaped center section and the exterior section are formed from a single piece of material.
 3. The antenna roof mounting platform of claim 1, wherein the wedge-shaped center section includes first defined portions for placement of fasteners for fastening an antenna mount to the top surface of the wedge-shaped center section.
 4. The antenna roof mounting platform of claim 3, wherein the wedge-shaped center section includes second defined portions in a surface of the wedge-shaped center section for placement of wire couplings.
 5. The antenna roof mounting platform of claim 4, wherein the first and second defined portions are one of indentions and holes.
 6. The antenna roof mounting platform of claim 1, wherein a top planar surface of the wedge shaped center section is at an acute angle relative to an axis of the exterior section.
 7. The antenna roof mounting platform of claim 1, further comprising: at least one wire coupling in a surface of the wedge-shaped center section, the at least one wire coupling being used to couple at least one interior wire that passes through roof substrate and couples to the at least one wire coupling on an interior portion of the wedge-shaped center section, to at least one exterior wire that connects to an antenna and couples to the at least one wire coupling on an exterior portion of the wedge-shaped center section.
 8. The antenna roof mounting platform of claim 4, further comprising: a housing covering the surface having the second defined portions.
 9. The antenna roof mounting platform of claim 7, further comprising: a housing covering the surface in which the at least one wire coupling is provided.
 10. The antenna roof mounting platform of claim 1, wherein the substantially flat exterior section surrounding the wedge-shaped center section is provided such that shingles of a roof substrate are to be placed on a top surface of the substantially flat exterior section.
 11. A method of making an antenna roof mounting platform, comprising: providing a wedge-shaped center section; and providing a substantially flat exterior section surrounding the wedge-shaped center section, wherein the wedge-shaped center section has a planar top surface upon which an antenna mount is to be fastened.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein providing the wedge-shaped center section and providing the exterior section includes forming the wedge-shaped center section and the exterior section from a single piece of material.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein providing the wedge-shaped center section includes providing first defined portions for placement of fasteners for fastening an antenna mount to the top surface of the wedge-shaped center section.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein providing the wedge-shaped center section includes providing second defined portions in a surface of the wedge-shaped center section for placement of wire couplings.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first and second defined portions are one of indentions and holes.
 16. The method of claim 11, wherein a top planar surface of the wedge shaped center section is provided at an acute angle relative to an axis of the exterior section.
 17. The method of claim 11, further comprising: providing at least one wire coupling in a surface of the wedge-shaped center section, the at least one wire coupling being used to couple at least one interior wire that passes through roof substrate and couples to the at least one wire coupling on an interior portion of the wedge-shaped center section, to at least one exterior wire that connects to an antenna and couples to the at least one wire coupling on an exterior portion of the wedge-shaped center section.
 18. The method of claim 14, further comprising: providing a housing covering the surface having the second defined portions.
 19. The method of claim 17, further comprising: providing a housing covering the surface in which the at least one wire coupling is provided.
 20. A method of mounting an antenna to a roof substrate, comprising: attaching an antenna roof mounting platform to the roof substrate, the antenna roof mounting platform having a wedge-shaped center section and a substantially flat exterior section surrounding the wedge-shaped center section; mounting an antenna to a top planar surface of the wedge-shaped center section; and coupling one or more wires from the antenna to one or more wire couplings provided in a surface of the wedge-shaped center section of the antenna roof mounting platform. 